Junkyard Dogs

by Katherine Higgs-Coulthard

Overview

A suspenseful and gut-wrenching story of an unhoused teenager struggling to survive a criminal scrapping ring while unraveling a dark family history

Josh's father has gone missing without a trace, and Gran's ready to call social services. If Josh wants to keep himself and and his little brother, Twig, out of the system, he'll have to take to the streets and track down his dad. But when Josh digs too deep, his dad's old accomplices catch up to Josh and plunge him into a dangerous underground where putting his trust in the wrong person could number Josh in a growing pile of bodies.

This chilling portrayal of a teen desperate for food, shelter, and safety barrels the reader through an emotionally-charged journey as Josh discovers that blood doesn't always make family—and some bonds can be broken forever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682635407
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	02/21/2023
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	14 - 12 Years

About the Author

Katherine Higgs-Coulthard became a writer on the limb of a Sycamore tree when she was in elementary school. Since then she’s written in abandoned buildings, cemeteries, parks, and even on a tall ship, but her favorite place to write has always been the woods. Kat graduated from the University of Nebraska with a bachelor's in education and earned a master's degree from Indiana University, before completing her doctorate in Education through Northeastern University. She has taught kindergarten, third, and fifth grades. Now she trains teachers at Saint Mary’s College and offers writing camps and classes for children and teens through Michiana Writers’ Center. She lives in Michigan and loves spending time with her family.

Editorial Reviews

"Higgs-Coulthard delivers a gritty, emotionally nuanced read about an unhoused teen searching for his absent father. . . . Utilizing atmospherically tense prose and layered, moving characterizations, this melancholy novel showcases one teen struggling to cultivate a better life for himself while navigating financial precarity and personal betrayal."—Publishers Weekly

"Empathetic readers will root for Josh and Twig as both are three-dimensional characters who need caring adults to come to their aid. The ending provides a hopeful ending. . . . A smart purchase. . . ."—School Library Connection

"A visceral story. . . ."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2022-11-16
While struggling to care for his little brother, an unhoused teen goes looking for their absent father and finds himself in over his head—literally as well as figuratively.

In a mean-streets–style tale raw in language and feeling alike, Higgs-Coulthard propels 17-year-old Josh—desperate to raise the rent his flinty, pot-addicted grandmother demands to share her decrepit trailer with him and 9-year-old Twig—into the deceptively welcoming arms of his missing dad’s longtime pal. Uncle Stan, full of big, vague plans and reassurances, is hanging out in an abandoned building and running a clandestine scrapping operation, diving into manholes to harvest the copper wire and plumbing beneath. Distressing events in Josh’s family history add further grit, and once he begins finding dead bodies with the pipes underground, betrayal as well as escalating illegal activities ramp up the danger and suspense. But it’s the succession of cold nights in filthy settings; the daily rounds of opportunistic snatching of scraps of cast-off and barely edible food to assuage constant, gnawing hunger; the pressure to present a facade of normalcy at school; and the pervasive lack of any sense of safety or trust that will likely evoke the strongest reactions in readers. Josh’s unwavering loyalty to his brother offers a bright spot, and the story ends on a note of catharsis, if not resolution. Main characters are cued as White.

A visceral story; not utterly tragic but grim and sad overall. (author’s note, resources) (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews